The Lime Tree Won
Blog post description.
Andrew Aasen
7/14/20262 min read
For the past several months, I've been keeping an eye on the citrus pallet at my local discount big-box store.
More than once, I've kicked myself for not buying a lime tree when prices were lower elsewhere. At the same time, I rent, and my family has talked about moving. Perennial plants are harder to justify when you don't know where you'll be in a year or two.
Then I started thinking about how often I actually use limes.
I make lime rice. I squeeze half a lime over peanut sauce before tossing it with hot noodles. I add lime to my Jamaica. If I'm offered a choice between lemon or lime for tea, I'll choose lime every time. Mango coleslaw and quinoa salad both get fresh lime juice several times a week.
Reading that list, you probably imagine that I always remember to buy limes at the grocery store.
Please laugh with me as I admit that remembering to buy limes is... aspirational.
So when I found a healthy Bearss lime at a price I could justify, I stopped thinking about it and brought it home.
In my last post, I mentioned that I had been considering expanding my indoor hydroponic systems into the unused shower stall. Those plans changed.
The shower now belongs to a lime tree.
Its setup is admittedly makeshift. Like many of my growing systems, it's temporary, functional, and already evolving as I learn what the plant needs. The important thing is that the tree is healthy and settling into its new home.
One of my favorite details is the juvenile foliage. The winged leaf stalks are broad enough to make the leaves look almost doubled, as though the tree is pretending to be a double-leaf lime. It isn't, of course. They're simply distant relatives in the citrus family, but their charming resemblance makes me smile every time I walk past.
Bearss limes are actually hardy enough for my climate, so cold wasn't the deciding factor. I chose to grow mine indoors for the same reason I grow much of my basil indoors. Outdoors, my yard comes with plenty of uninvited guests. Indoors, I can avoid many of the insects that enjoy citrus as much as I do. I also don't have to worry about nearby kumquats contributing pollen if I decide to save seed or simply want to know exactly what my tree is producing.
I bought the tree because I was tired of forgetting limes.
I suspect I'll end up appreciating it for many more reasons than that.
The Lime in his new home and its beautiful leaves.
